lennyrott2

^ I know I should have!! I wish I could have listened to it in the dream and heard what Ink and True Love sound like in my subconcious!

PM? I am so sorry, must be a pain, but I have no bodily control

I remember when Paradise first dropped this whole forum was up in arms too. Some people were labeling it as dubstep and others were doing the whole "Coldplay is dead to me," thing. I was shocked and indecisive on Paradise at first because of the heavy base, "PARA PARA PARADISE" chorus, I didn't like it, but today I rather enjoy it, especially the intro. ASFOS will grow on those who are on the fence. I am also disappointed, but I hope it will grow on me. At this point though I would kill for a more Paradise vibe though haha in that I want more instrumentation and lyrical content (and Paradise's lyrics are only just passable as they stand.)

If I never knew Avicii produced this song, I still wouldn't like it. In fact, and I mean this honestly, I would probably say "Man this sounds so much like something Avicii would do." Look, I don't hate Avicii, he is a good artist but he has his own style. His hits usually take already performed songs, then perhaps he adds a little, and then they are messed with until they are EDM stompers. To me, ASFOS sounds like a more simplified version of an MX tune that was remixed by Avicii. If you listen to the live performance with Later.... you can hear all the elements really clearly, and that made it a decent song imo. I loved how fast Will was banging those drums and Guy's distinct bass line and of course Jonny (who is still toned down in the studio version to where it sounds like Where The Streets Have Name in reverse.) The studio sounds like a remix of the live performance, and that honestly is what it is. Coldplay recorded and Avicii made it his own.

I had a dream last night that I was in a bookstore and found the Coldplay Ghost Stories Exclusive DVD and CD package. One copy, perhaps accidently put out early, so I went to nonchalantly purchase it at the desk, trying so hard to keep my cool. After some considerable time, the clerk informed me that it was unavailable to sell because it hasn't been released yet. I awoke almost instantly feeling incredibly disappointed. I am honestly surprised I didn't wake strangling my pillow or running out the door with something in my hands. I guess it was more like a nightmare really.

Perhaps best to not pay attention to all of it, but yeah I can't. I physically am unable.

Did I see some stirrings of a possible album leak that got covered up? May flowers from all the April showers?

I am right with you. I find the last minute and a half to have the most audible and interesting instrumentation, and I am excited to see how it builds into O. If I were to jump into any other part of this song (without Chris' voice) I would honestly not have a clue who the artist was: Avicii? Rihanna? Any other radio chart topper? I have tried really hard to like this song and listened to it over 20 times, but it still doesn't feel distinctly Coldplay to me. Truly I have tried really hard to get into this song, but for some reason, which scares me, it won't stick in my head. Of all the songs swimming around my head, Coldplay usually stands out, but this one just blends in with everything else on the radio. Honestly feels like Avicii got the final say, and not the band. I know this isn't true, but that is how it feels. I wish they used a live instrumental version for the studio. The song sounded great on Jools--Will's fast drumming, Guys bassline, Jonny's sparkling notes (the only thing that is audible in the studio.)

Timbaland? Where did we learn this from? I swear that man's name has ended up in every single artists discography, notably Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Jay-Z, and (ew) OneRepublic, which is pretty diverse. That fact makes me a little less worried, but he is mostly a hip-hop/R&B producer. Hope it isn't true.

Anythang....

I am with you. Popular EDM after a few listens really lacks much detail and texture despite being so explosive. It just sounds extraordinarily...well...simple and numbing. Details, textures, beauty are some of the things I love about Coldplay, and I just feel this track lacks them. I don't hate Coldplay for trying something new, nor do I think this will ruin the album for me, I just don't like the outcome (In my own personal infinitesimally small opinion.)

Updated version from two weeks ago! Only songs we have heard in full! 1. Midnight--9.5/10--Still so glad Coldplay gave us something like this, so fresh, moody and beautiful. 2. Always In My Head--9/10--Feels like floating, lovely atmospheric swaying gahhh, totally Coldplay, wonderful. 3. Oceans--8/10--Love the dark, sad nature, the lyrics are actually pretty good, really pretty acoustic guitar chords and sonar noise. 4. Magic--7.5/10-- Great pop tune, love the minimalism and all of the little textures that you can pick out (chimes, piano, drum kit variations.) 5. Another's Arms--7/10--Need the studio version. Lyrics cheesy, a bit too poppy sounding piano for my taste, but love a lot the elements and whoooms going on, plus Jonny's guitar is nice! Ink, True Love, and what we have heard from O (Fly On) are really exciting to me and could overtake any of the tracks above! 9. A Sky Full of Stars--3/10--Will be my least favourite song, hands down. I just can't take Coldplay in this style of music very seriously, it doesn't feel genuine or interesting to me. Feels more generic, overproduced, and won't stand out for me amongst songs that sound (almost too) similar. :(

I think that is just the nature of being the frontman. Plus, he starts the writing process for 99% of their music so in a lot of ways he really is the keystone that all else is built around. But overall in interviews it is apparent that the band is glad that he takes the spotlight off them. They aren't a flamboyant promotional band. Plus he always speaks with "we," and "us," unless it is a personal question. Always has.

I can't see how the repetitive dance nature of the lyrics and chords could allow it unfortunately... :(

Quote: I don't like this route coldplays going. Ghost stories IMO kind of sucks so far, out of the 5 songs or so that I heard Always in my head and magic are the only ones I like. I try hard to like it but I don't. The reason why I don't like a sky full of stars is because it is pretty much telling me coldplays just going for the sound of the moment. EDM and house music or whatever is extremely popular nowadays, this is coldplay trying to get in on that. They don't belong there, sorry chris! I guess thats why I wasn't too fond of MX either it just seems like they are losing the unique-ness they once had and trying to grab onto whats popular at the moment. I think they are trying to get on what they want to, and I won't judge them. I don't like ASFOS either, but don't assume all the other tracks will be EDM. This album is infused so far with a lot of electronics, like their last two, but also acoustics and stripped down techniques. And EDM isn't necessarily a mainstream thing. Besides the radio smashes (ASFOS will be one) the genre is very diverse. Midnight, for example, has elements of EDM that I really appreciate because they are mostly uncommon in popular music today (deep house, post-dubstep, atmospherics)

I think as divisive as this song is turning out to be, everyone here makes good points. Coldplay, at their core, write pop music. Yellow, Clocks, Speed of Sound, Viva La Vida, Paradise, are all leading singles that are extremely radio-friendly and mainstream and nobody argues against that. They are great songs and each exemplifies how Coldplay has evolved as a band to keep up with the times. They are inspired by what mainstream music does around them and have always taken that mold and applied to themselves to produce some really quality pop tracks. The reason they are the biggest band in the world is because they are so good at this, at staying relevant. ASFOS will be no exception, most people will like it and that isn't a bad thing. Personally, from what we have heard, I honestly don't like the song. People are throwing around words like "generic," and I have to honestly agree. Avicii is a great producer in house music and EDM, but that just isn't my style of music. My ears, and many others here who prefer Coldplay's alternative sound, just don't register the difference of this song and say, We Found Love, or the an Avicii song like Fade Into Darkness. Like modern country music where I am from, I just don't get it. But I am not going to let it ruin the album for me. I am afraid of how it will fit into the whole mood, and how much it will sound like an actual live band and not a computer looped around Chris' hooting. OMG THE OWL, CHRIS' HOOTING, I GET IT NOW! I am glad people like this track and I wish I did, but I just don't. While it is disappointing, I have loved the sound of every other song for the most part! That is what the skip button is for. I do it for Up In Flames, I can certainly do it for ASFOS.

GET THE CAR THEN GET THE GIRL IN THE CAR AND GET ANOTHER'S ARMS AND PLAY IT IN THE CAR WITH THE GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on globalization! Don't let me down!

Brilliant!

Too bad, The Gold Rush is one of my favourite Coldplay songs ever. Along with A Spell A Rebel Yell and Death Will Never Conquer I think they could have had a solid B-side album (other than Prospekt's March) alongside Viva. Absolutely love the simplistic, acoustic folk sounds and the crazy shoegaze offbeat stuff they got into.

I don't think anybody knows, but it could be very likely. Amazon suggested that Midnight would be released the 21st and it was, while also saying Another's Arms would be released the 28th so that gives some validity. Many think that they will release a track a week until the album drops on the 19th.

Please be released at midnight UK time so I can hear it in a few hoursssss.

This is the downfall for a lot of bands nowadays I feel. Look at the progression of instrument heavy pop-rock bands like Maroon 5, 30 Seconds To Mars, Fall Out Boy, etc. All of them have succombed to albums that often feel more like the lead singer being backed by several producers and a computer than a live band (I am generalizing of course.) I love modernised sounds, don't get me wrong. Synths, electronics, dance beats, sampling, I really love it all. But when it is simplified and made super generic and spooned into all pop music, I get really frustrated. What is great about Coldplay is that they are able to keep up with the mainstream but also keep their signature sound and style intact, which I feel makes their songs of much higher quality and creative effort than most of what you hear on the radio. Of course I am biased and think this because I have listened to way too much Coldplay in my life, but I totally agree with you. Chris, Jonny, Will, and Guy are all multi-instrumentalists and are extremely talented too. I love when they have jam session sounding songs like 42, Yes, Shiver, A Message, B-Sides, to name a few. Those songs are so much more rich, layered and enjoyable.

In my opinion, Chris' lyrics are always spotty, ranging from poor to great. They have always been as simple and relatable as possible, with a few exceptions, but I find Parachutes and AROBTTH to be solid all around. X&Y had good parts, but it deservedly put Coldplay on the map for having some of the sappiest introspective lyrics ever. Then Viva did great in dishing out the band's most unique lyrical themes and deliveries, with the exception of fishes and barrels. I found MX lyrics to be terribly cliche and often cringe inducing, but the tracks you mentioned were pretty solid. Plus, since the album was meant to be a colourful "story," with strong themes, I was able to forgive entirely, well, except for PoC and Up In Flames, *shudder* So for Ghost Stories has been almost as simple as you can get, but I have really like how chill and well delivered the songs have been. I think Chris is capable of writing more complicated and out of the ordinary lyrics, he has before. I just don't think he really wants to. He has said many times before he is not a good lyricist but he tries hard to do what he feels, even if it reads like a middle school love letter.

^OH THE MEMORIES! PoC was so bass heavy on that youtube track, and it didn't end up being a terrible song by any means in the context of MX. You are right, at least we don't have to wait long! Twas a small bout of pessimism that you helped me cure with some logic. Exactly, Coldplay will be Coldplay. They seem incapable of resisting the bombastic sound that the radio craves, a piano ballad would be nice again, but they are moving along with most of the crowd. Overall I just hope this track sounds like signature Coldplay and fits nicely into the album flow. I want Chris' voice to fit in to the song, because honestly that recording (though absolute expletive) sounded like if his voice was replaced with a pop diva, the song would fair just as well in some other album.